A Distance Relative
by Amethyst L Ruby
Summary: Loosely based on current and former storylines a distant relative comes to raise the Jerome-Corinthos baby.
1. Chapter 1

**This was a random idea sparked by Michael's desire that the new baby be handed off to a distant relative. We are starting around the basic idea of current episodes (Ava having a baby, Sonny and Carly in jail) but please suspend all belief about the GH universe because some things I like about current storylines and some I don't so changes ****_have_**** been made. Some people never died, some people don't exist and some who are currently on canvas haven't arrived yet. Rachel is my own creation and any others will be noted.**

**If you have any questions or comments PLEASE let me know when you read & review. Thanks!**

**And, as always, this is for fun not profit.**

Rachel sat at the mirror fluffing her hair not quite sure if she wanted it up or down. The party tonight was to mark her engagement to Diego Alcazar but her soon to be father-in-law Lorenzo had something else to celebrate. The arrest of Sonny Corinthos had reached the crime underground amidst cheers and snickers. Corinthos had been the thorn in the sides of many a man who had gone up against him only to meet up with his 'Stone Cold' enforcer and be sent home.

Rachel laughed to herself thinking of all the security tapes she had watched and what an accurate moniker that was. In all the years she had been in private security and investigations for the Alcazars she couldn't think of one single time Jason Morgan had cracked a smile. But now he had suffered a second traumatic head injury following the latest of Sonny's displays of power and now existed somewhere closer to pre-med Jason Quartermaine all but eliminating Sonny's dominance.

Shrugging to herself, Rachel snapped back to the present and started rummaging through her vanity for the right shade of lipstick. Something that said sexy without being vampy. In the mirror she watched the door open behind her and her future cousin, Sage sauntered through the door. 'Speaking of vampy' thought Rachel as she affixed a smile on her face.

"Hey girl, you almost ready?" Sage Alcazar's voice purred out around gold lame lips.

Rachel nodded her head as she swiped the tube across her lips.

The two women were headed to Sage's hair stylist to finish up their preparations for the night. Earlier in the day a designer had stopped by with their dresses and a makeup artist had been available but Rachel had passed. Judging by her intense level of shine, Sage had not. On anyone else the look might not have worked but Sage had the type of attitude that made bright makeup and a strapless micro-mini dress seem practically normal.

Sage was casually looking through Rachel's extensive closet when suddenly she squealed and dove in.

"OH MY GOD! Can I wear THESE?" Without waiting for an answer, Sage bounced onto Rachel's bed and tore off her stilettos trading them in for an almost business like pair of bright red snakeskin pumps.

"Sure," Rachel monotoned. "Just give me your shoes. I actually haven't picked anything out yet and I don't have time to go through" she gestured at the closet without turning around "all that."

Sage obligingly tossed the shoes over without looking and Rachel cringed at the heels as they flew through the air. Somehow they landed at her feet without costing her an eye. Slipping the gold heels onto her feet, Rachel admired the delicate straps.

Sage brightly smiled as Rachel stood up and they regarded themselves in the 3 way floor length mirror that stood nearby. "We made a good trade."

They finally made it to the party and were surprisingly only thirty minutes late. Rachel felt like they had been getting their hair done for days. It was times like these that Rachel saw the great and wide divide that separated people like her from people like Sage Alcazar. Rachel hadn't grown up poor but Sage had grown up like a princess. It was not only nothing, but normal and expected, that Sage should sit around while people did her hair, fetched her lattes and picked out her clothes. Rachel felt it got weird most times.

Rachel's attitude was part of the reason Lorenzo had approached her about Diego. His son was none the wiser thanks to several carefully planned dates but Rachel knew the score. Lorenzo knew Rachel had money—Sage was constantly fawning over Rachel's extensive collection of clothing and shoes and her downtown apartment with its original art and expensive furnishings-and he also knew her secrets. All of those things were gifted to her through a distant relative. Rachel had plenty of things but that's_ all_ she had.

Walking around the party Rachel watched the three Alcazars circle the room as they made their rounds among all the businessmen and their wives. Rachel grabbed a spot by the bar and ordered a whiskey sour knowing that I.D. didn't matter at such an event. Being barely 18 wouldn't hinder her ability to get tipsy tonight which is fully what she intended on doing.

She watched as a man and a woman holding a baby approached Lorenzo. Rachel watched his face change from welcoming to intrigued; then he gestured for them to follow him out of the room.

Downing her drink, Rachel gestured for two more and grabbing both she quickly made her way across the room. She made sure to walk fast enough to reach the trio in time to eavesdrop but slow enough to belie any suspicion. She was careful to smile at those that made eye contact but didn't stare.

_Nothing to see here_ she was saying _just bringing a drink to a friend. La la la_

Rachel quickly followed the voices to an office down the hallway and then abruptly stepped into an adjacent alcove. The door to the office was closed but why take chances of them seeing someone walk past? She slipped in behind a suit of armor that Lorenzo had purchased in Bavaria at an auction and quietly sipped her drink. She couldn't believe her luck that she could hear them perfectly.

The woman was gushing on about her new baby as the two men talked around her occasionally cooing at the infant and appeasing the mother. Rachel had recognized the man but couldn't quite place him. She was a former art history student as was Lorenzo so she assumed it was someone they had met on their trips to auctions and art houses. Putting away her thoughts Rachel focused on what they were saying. She could speculate all she wanted later but right now if she wanted to learn anything she needed to _listen._

**Okay so I wasn't very subtle hahaha about who certain people were. Please let me know what you think, what you want to see. I welcome and love feedback just ask that you be nice since this is supposed to be fun. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, getting some filler out of the way. Not much history established yet lol but we'll get to it**

Rachel felt a little weird about spying on Lorenzo but not at all guilty. She had a close relationship with him considering he was her boss but felt that he mostly took advantage of her because of her age. Not in a physical manner but that he turned up the fatherly charm and let Rachel be close to him in order to ensure she did what he needed.

She was the one that he took on trips to museums and had personal lunches where they talked about college, books and films but she was also the one he turned to when he needed to catch a man's eye. Rachel was the one that worked at Sonny's club for over six months while she spied on him and stole video footage. Rachel was the one that staked out a Cuban restaurant in Miami so as to overhear the Ruiz brothers discuss their family business. She was also the one that dated the youngest Ruiz as she gathered and cataloged their secrets. As nice as he was to her in person, Lorenzo had weaseled Rachel into a job she wasn't entirely proud of or enjoyed. To expect her to be anything less than a spy for personal gain was somewhat foolish on his part.

Rachel eased her way back into the party and deposited one of her empty glasses with a waiter. She mingled and finished off her second drink then chatted with Diego and a few of his friends before saying her goodbyes and heading home.

She hadn't heard anything useful but she had heard her name. Now all she had to do was wait and act surprised when Lorenzo called upon her.

A few hours later, when Rachel finally started feeling the effects of her three drinks, an incessant pounding began in her head. It got louder and louder until she finally realized it was coming from the door. Heavily lifting herself up, Rachel she stumbled out of her bedroom and out into the living room just as the door opened of its own accord.

It was Diego.

Swaying and slightly slurry he reached out to pet Rachel's hair but she grabbed his hand and gently led him to the couch. He tried to focus his eyes on her face but fell back against the pillows.

"Why didn't you…answer….the door" he stammered. Rachel started arranging his body so that he lay more comfortably on the couch and leaned over him to grab the shawl that lay across the back. He grabbed her arm and glared at her, "I asked you a question." This time there was no slur.

Rachel stiffened and glared back. Diego hadn't grown up with Lorenzo. He had been raised in Mexico by his mother, Maria, who was a maid. Rachel's mother had been a maid as well but whereas she had been hardworking Diego's mother was shady. After getting to far into debt she had tracked down Lorenzo and tearfully confessed to him that they had a son. Lorenzo had immediately cleared her debts and brought his son to live with him. Upon independent investigation Rachel was genuinely surprised to find out Maria had been telling the truth.

Diego had taken to being an Alcazar as if he had been a prince his whole life. Rachel had thought more than once it was a good thing he was good looking or someone would've punched him in the face by now. Diego could be a fun guy but he was definitely arrogant. Rachel had vaguely wondered what being married to him would be like when Lorenzo had proposed the original deal to her.

Rachel pulled her arm out of his grasp and dropped the shawl on his body. "Um, I was sleeping" she laughed.

Diego nodded his head and then shifted his body so that he could sit up. Wrapping the shawl around his body he yawned. "Rachel, do you ever wonder if this is it? If this is our lives? You and me married? Like this?"

His brown eyes explored her own and she hesitated to answer. It was the first time he had given any indication that he knew their marriage was based on something else than love. Then Rachel felt dumb. Of _course_ he knew. He was Lorenzo's son. The dates were just as much for her benefit as his. No one wanted to tell their grandchildren they were married for anything other than Forever and True Love.

Sitting down in the chair across from him, Rachel rubbed her face and answered honestly, "I think this is how it has to be. I think the deals we could make and the ties we could bind would be silly to turn down. Your father knows where my money comes from and why. You need the connections. I need the security. This is how these things works."

"I know" he started slowly "but don't you ever think…_don't you ever wonder_..."

It was the first time that Rachel had ever seen Diego speak emotionally and as much as she wanted to encourage this side of him she knew she had to shut it down. Diego backing out would be disastrous for everyone but especially for her. Lorenzo knew these deals benefitted the men more than the women and she knew he watched her. Watched to make sure she said the right things and laughed at the right times.

"Diego. I care about you. You care about me. That's all we need." She said it more harshly than intended but let the edge in her voice stay.

He opened his mouth as if to say something else but then turned his body so that he was laying back on her couch. With a dismissive wave, Diego Alcazar rolled over, turning his back on Rachel.

When she woke up Rachel headed out to her living room and was surprised to find herself happy that Diego was still there. He was watching a video on his phone and didn't acknowledge her presence but he was there still and that was something.

She jaunted into the kitchen and started pulling things out for breakfast. She whisked and fried and toasted everything to perfection and then carried to heaping plates into the dining room calling out for Diego. He walked in and surveyed the spread before taking a seat at the head of the table.

Rachel took the seat to his right and they quietly passed butter and syrup back and forth for a few minutes before he spoke.

"So I talked to my dad this morning and we think we are gonna do a trip to Italy."

Rachel nodded.

"This will probably delay the wedding for a few weeks but we talked to that cousin of yours that lives there. Rihanna…"

"Rhylean."

"Yeah, Rihanna, and she said that she hasn't finished the beading on the dress anyway so it works out. She actually wanted to talk to you about maybe flying out for a fitting since she's just been working off emailed measurements but you were asleep so I just said yes."

Rachel's head snapped up and her eyes went wide, "Uhhh…you couldn't ask first?"

"Uhhh…are you seriously talking to me like that" his snotty 'I'm the boss's kid' tone creeping into Diego's voice.

"DIEGO! I have to WORK. I can't just pick up all my stuff and _leave_" Rachel threw her hands into the air sending a piece of pancake flying across the room.

Officially Rachel was a college student with an extremely part time job at a local café. Everything she did for Lorenzo was off the books and under the table. It was important for her to at least pretend to work and keep up appearances. If she just randomly took off for something that couldn't be disguised as a field trip and yet somehow managed to keep her job she might get side eyed. But then she considered the circumstances and the family she was marrying into and realized no one would care as long as they were promised an invite.

Rachel backed off. "Yeah, you're right. I should go. I have to make sure I have shoes for that dress. The right hair. I should bring Sage!"

Diego nodded along to all her suggestions as he continued to scarf down her food. He talked about the company they were going to be promoting and she talked about shopping.

They were still discussing the trip when someone knocked on the door.

**Hope everyone is enjoying the story and looking forward to more.** **Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

Diego returned from answering the door with Sage in tow and tossed a small pastel envelope at Rachel.

Sage sat down and started helping herself to pancakes as Rachel flipped the envelope over and cut it open with her butter knife.

Inside was a cream colored slip of paper bordered with small, shiny pink unicorns. Silver script declared

You're Invited!

Rachel immediately flashed back to the woman and the baby. Gently placing the invitation next to her plate she greeted Sage.

"So the party is _today _which means we have to leave immediately after breakfast. I was telling D about this store that sells giant stuffed animals so I think we should start there." Sage was animatedly talking and using her hands to indicate the enormous size of these animals as Diego looked on amusedly.

Rachel was thinking how odd it was that a new mother would be travelling with such a little baby. It was even stranger that she would come to another country to visit a man she'd never met and invite people she didn't know to a party.

Diego caught Rachel's eye and pointed at her with his fork, "Make sure you sign the card from me too."

They all three laughed as Rachel assured him she would.

"Oh my gosh I want a baby sooo bad. These toys are fantastic!" Sage was squeezing a moderately sized giraffe to her chest and spinning excitedly.

Rachel half-heartedly smiled and looked through a small collection of animal themed pajamas. The polar bear one was pretty cute, she thought, and white would be super easy to keep clean. She handed it over to the saleswoman and continued walking around. Sage was loading down her bodyguard with all practically every animal she had come across. The poor guy was so strapped for arm space he had asked Rachel to call in a second man. Now they both were loaded down with toys.

Rachel's eye was caught by several plush animals with sewn on eyes that would be perfect for a newborn. She was still trying to decide which one she wanted when Sage came up behind her, scooped all five up and dropped them into the saleswoman's arms before bouncing away to look at baby bedding.

Rachel felt unbelievably nervous when they entered the party and she wasn't quite sure why. She had a strange feeling about this woman and this baby. Sage immediately circled the room hugging all the women and catching up on the latest gossip. Most of the women there were friends of Lorenzo's and Rachel wondered if the baby was a relative of his. She still couldn't quite figure out who the man was that had been with the woman at the party but she was certain he wasn't the father. Something about him just gave her a vibe.

Setting her present down on the large table already packed with gifts, Rachel turned to get a cup of fruit punch and was immediately in the face of the guest of honor.

"Hi" the woman explained breathlessly "I'm Madelyn."

Rachel sat munching on cucumbers smothered in cheese and slivered almonds as she watched the red haired woman hold court. The society ladies talked to her at appropriate intervals which thinly veiled their attempts to ignore the mother and just hold the baby.

Sage had walked by Rachel several times mouthing the words "that baby is _super cute_" which Rachel had to agree with. The baby didn't look like her mother but Rachel figured that sometimes that happened. It was a newborn after all. Thick dark hair capped the tiny head and big eyes peeped out from tanned skin. The baby was carefully quiet; looking around and watching as if taking notes to tell someone about all this later.

Getting up to grab another glass of punch Rachel felt the woman's eyes on her and turned in time to catch a cold stare which was quickly replaced by a bright smile and vacant eyes. The woman was recounting her baby's birth.

Filling up the tiny cup for about the millionth time she listened to the woman prattle on and hoped that Sage would be tired soon. Sage had already held the baby a few times and had given up on Rachel doing so. Maybe it was superstition but this close to a wedding Rachel was scared to even make eye contact with a baby much less touch one.

Back in her seat Rachel suppressed a groan as Sage made her way yet again to the front of the line and gathered the infant in her arms. The mom seemed almost feral in her expressions when it came to people holding the baby and seemed to repeatedly catch herself and mentally remind herself not to make a scene. Yet again Madelyn turned her eyes on Rachel and Rachel concentrated on her plate as if tiny sandwiches were the most exciting things she had ever seen.

"And she didn't even hold the baby. Madelyn was so upset"

Sage was recounting the party to her cousin and chastising Rachel for her baby-phobia. Diego mockingly shook a figure at Rachel as he walked away to the living room laughing. Rachel, however, was over the whole thing. All the way home she had listened to Sage talk about how distraught Madelyn was that Rachel refused to hold the baby.

"You could've just done it to be polite" Sage had scoffed before promptly facing away from Rachel and staring out the window. Rachel had breathed a sigh of relief thinking Sage was angry enough to ignore her for the rest of the ride but she almost immediately picked up where she left off and refused to stop.

"Okay, so I didn't want to hold some stupid baby. She's coming over for dinner anyway. What does it matter? And it's a newborn. You're not supposed to be passing them around like a petition." Rachel angrily stirred the spaghetti sauce getting tiny red splatters all over the stove.

Sage's mouth dropped open "_Stupid baby?_ I cannot _believe_ you just _said that_!"

"DIEGO" Rachel shouted for back up but no such luck. Diego and his cousin were the brother and sister each had never had. Sage could probably chew her arm off and Diego would just assume it had been for the best. Naturally the volume on the tv rose just in case his silence hadn't been clear enough.

Rachel ignored the glares as she began to pull plates from the cupboards and set the table. Stupid Madelyn was already a pain in the neck. The baby shower had been at a local botanical garden because apparently Madelyn and The World's Greatest Baby Ever didn't have a home to party in. Madelyn's sob story had eventually hooked in Sage who turned to Rachel "who she just knew would love to help out!" Now Madelyn and the baby were coming over for dinner to survey the apartment and decide if she wanted to stay there. Rachel considered that rather picky for someone that was supposedly homeless.

Diego was set to leave with his father and James, the man from the party, the next morning to head to Italy. Rachel and Sage would follow in a few days with Madelyn and the baby staying at Rachel's apartment. _If _Madelyn thought it was good enough for them.

Rachel rolled her eyes just as the doorbell rang.


	4. Chapter 4

As Madelyn walked through the apartment and "just LOVED" this but "didn't really care for" that, Rachel felt the blood rushing up to her ears and felt her head might explode as a result. 'Daddy's girl' Rachel thought. There was no other explanation she could come up with for the way that Madelyn swept about the rooms putting her fingers on _everything_ ("I'm going to be spending the next century furniture polishing" Rachel fumed) and just assuming all eyes were upon her. As much as Rachel liked Sage, she had been completely spoiled by her father and Madelyn mirrored the same egocentric similarities that came from being completely doted on by a man.

The fact that Madelyn was even taking the time to critique the furnishings screamed out to Rachel. "These" Rachel said waving her fingers around at various items "go NOwhere." She eyeballed Lorenzo's guard. The man was to accompany Madelyn while James was in Italy with the Alcazars. If Madelyn so much as moved a coaster this was the person Rachel was going to pound in the face. She felt odd about being so territorial. Everything in it and the apartment itself was Rachel's inheritance of a much larger estate. It wasn't as if she had picked any of these things out herself but just seeing Madelyn wipe her non-greasy, extremely delicate fingers all over everything made Rachel want to Hulk out.

"It's not really _my taste_ but we can make do. Can't we, sweetie?" Madelyn delved off into baby talk as Lorenzo gave orders to his guard to pick up Madelyn's few belongings and bring them over then ushered everyone into the dining room for dinner. The meal was eaten mostly in silence with the men making occasional plans for their trip. Madelyn was enraptured by the baby and Sage still refused to speak to Rachel. It was perfect.

After the meal, Diego and Sage decided to go to the movies but Rachel declined. Lorenzo approved of this decision as she needed to help Madelyn ready the apartment for the baby. A few essentials ordered online at the shower-a bassinet, a changing table-were being delivered that very night and it was up to Rachel to figure out where they would go. Naturally the only room in the apartment big enough to fit those were Rachel's bedroom. And that's when Rachel put her foot down.

"She is _not_ taking my bedroom. It makes absolutely no sense, Lorenzo. Not only is it MY bed but I have all of my personal belongings in here. Obviously. We either have to make a big scene about moving everything out-things which include _work_ things-or she just sleeps in the guest bedroom."

Rachel and Lorenzo were inside Rachel's bedroom measuring the room to decide where to put the furniture. Rachel had easily pointed out that had they done this before they ordered the baby's items they could've simply bought things that fit in the guest bedroom. The bassinet itself was fine but the changing table made the guest room "too cramped' for Madelyn's liking. Too bad. So sad. Rachel thought. Either the baby furniture-and the baby-stayed with Rachel or Madelyn didn't get all her furniture. Rachel had hoped this would convince Madelyn to go haunt someone else's house but in the end Madelyn came up with the brilliant plan to sleep with Rachel in her bedroom.

"Problem solved" Madelyn shouted, jumping up and down, clapping. She ran back into the other room and Rachel could hear Madelyn and James laughing and laughing. Probably about Rachel's terrible luck.

"Unbelievable." Rachel gritted her teeth.

Lorenzo tossed the tape measure onto the bed and gave Rachel a small side hug."Okay, Rache, I need to go down to my office and pick up some paperwork. You are officially off the clock and on Baby Watch. Anything the baby needs-or Madelyn" he added pointedly, "I trust you to help them out."

Rachel just nodded and saved her sigh for once Lorenzo left the room. He hadn't mentioned James going with him and it would be just her luck if he left her alone with two creepers and the baby. She heard brief male voices and then the front door shut. When James' voice picked back up Rachel threw herself on the bed and rolled around in a mock tantrum. She didn't know who these people were or what was going on but she was really getting to the end of her rope with Lorenzo just throwing her into situations like these.

A brief time later Rachel emerged from her room. The guest bedroom door was shut but the light was on and she could hear James and Madelyn inside. Careful to say outside of the light streaming from under the door, she pressed herself against the frame and listened in. They were being much quieter than they had been at Lorenzo's and she wondered why. There were far more people at the engagement party. Maybe they pegged Rachel has someone to keep their secrets from? The pair were animatedly talking about Madelyn making a phone call and James kept calling her "Nina". The rest of the conversation was fairly pointless to eavesdrop on but the fact that at least one of them was under an assumed name perked Rachel's nosy ears right up. "They are absolutely right to be careful around me" Rachel snickered. She had been SO right about these two being up to something. Peeling herself back from the door she stepped over the patch of light so as not to give it away that she was out in the hallway and quickly made her way to the kitchen. Grabbing some leftovers she hightailed it back to her room. She planned to get on her laptop and investigate anyone named Nina that was associated with the Alcazars.

Within five minutes, Rachel had thrown her hands up in frustration.

"_How_ is there nothing?" She asked out loud as she stared angrily at the computer. The Alcazars had absolutely no associations with anyone named Nina. The closest was a woman named Meena but there had been a picture. Rachel had thought maybe Madelyn was the real name but every spelling Rachel could think of showed no result. Rachel had no idea who the man was so she had no chance of searching for him at all. She was a bit worried about having these people in her house given that the only information she had on them was that one of them was probably a liar.

She settled back against her pillows and then Madelyn getting into bed shook her awake. Apparently she had dozed off and the baby furniture had arrived and been set up. The baby was now sleeping peacefully and Madelyn/Nina was in Rachel's bed.

"Um, Madelyn? Is James still here?" Rachel glanced a bit anxiously at the door. She couldn't believe she had been dumb enough to just fall asleep like that. Her laptop, thankfully, had a power save so it had fallen asleep around the time Rachel did. The screen was blissfully blank.

Madelyn or Nina, Rachel didn't know what to call her now, yawned theatrically and snuggled into the blankets. "Oh, of course. He's in the guest room."


	5. Chapter 5

**Welcome back from the holidays and Happy New Year! I have made a few history changes to this (as warned) and since I completely changed the history of the Alcazars (they are being introduced as "new" along with my character Rachel) it changed everything they did on canvas so Georgie (and Emily) are still alive. So that is who Spinelli (mentioned in this chapter) is married to. I watch current episodes as well as "classic" ones from way back so I cherry pick who is in and who is out. If this is a problem PLEASE let me know. I want to have fun but I don't want to be confusing. **

**My version of Jason simply got into an accident (unspecified. I don't plan on elaborating on that) around the time that Sonny was being brought up on charges so there isn't going to be the whole thing like from on the show. He got into an accident. He will recover. That's about it. lol Franco (James in my story) will not be heard of ever again because while I thought it was an interesting concept on the actual show when they first had the actor on it's definitely overstayed its welcome. Nina may or may not be reentering the story but Silas is out because he just does not exist to me. Sorry. I mostly just plan on using the characters in a new way so again don't rely too much on current storylines. The Fluke storyline doesn't exist but I thought the original storyline of Robin's death ****was well done so that stays and she won't be back. If there's anyone else you want to see back or have any reviews/ideas/comments please let me know. Special Note: I don't necessarily hate Sonny's character but I don't love it either. The characters' opinions of other characters are strictly their own. =)**

_How in the world is she not hearing this?_

Rachel was lying face down on the bed with the pillow over her head and she could still hear the pitiful wailing of the newborn nearby. It made Rachel want to cry herself. Rachel had tried everything to wake Madelyn up—she had repeatedly kicked, prodded and even screamed the other woman's name but nothing. Somehow Madelyn remained blissfully unaware.

Although the crying had probably only been going on for a few minutes it felt much longer and Rachel wasn't sure if she could hold out. She didn't want to hold the baby without permission but she didn't know what else to do. Rachel had gone to the guest room to get James in the hopes that he would take care of the infant but he was gone. A note left on the coffee table explained that Lorenzo had stopped by to pick him up and that they were headed to the airport with Diego.

Easing out of bed, Rachel dialed her fiancee's number keeping one eye on the woman who against all odds still remained sound asleep and the other on the newborn that was starting to thrash around.

"Hey Rachel" Diego had answered the phone in a relaxed tone but his voice immediately changed to concern, "what is going on over there? Is everything okay?" Rachel could hear him in the background explaining the baby's screams to a person she guessed was Lorenzo.

Hearing the note of panic in Diego's voice made Rachel's heart quicken. She was already freaked out about being with a baby at all and now she had no help at all from it's mother. _Her_, Rachel thought, _her mother. Don't say _it_._ Taking a few deep breaths Rachel explained to Diego that she had woken up to a hiccupping sound. It had taken her a few minutes to realize it was coming from the baby. She had tried to wake Madelyn up even going so far as to violently shake her while screaming her name but nothing had worked. The baby had grown more and more agitated until she was finally screaming at the top of her lungs. The last five minutes seemed to have transpired over five years and Rachel was nerve wracked.

Diego had passed the phone over to Lorenzo who told her to handle the baby herself and not worry about Madelyn. James had explained to him that she was on Intermezzo* and was unlikely to wake up anytime soon. Rachel was hoping to respond rationally but felt her voice rise with her anger:

"You left me with a woman on sedatives? You left me. With a woman. On sedatives. Who can't even hear her baby cry!? You know this means I can't go to Italy? You know that. Right?"

"Rachel-," Lorenzo let out an exasperated sigh.

Rachel headed over to the crib and picked up the infant who stopped crying for a second but seemed startled rather than placated. As the baby began to cry again and Rachel searched frantically for her bottle, Rachel took the chance to relieve some frustration and vented, barely remembering she was talking to Lorenzo.

"This is SO insane. You left me with a lady that's totally deaf while sleeping. Did you PLAN this? Because you couldn't seriously think I would go to Italy KNOWING that this lady is dead to the world and that her poor daughter would spend her nights screaming to no one. You all can't be that stupid. You just can't. You had to have set me up. You had to have known that I would find out and be like 'No it's fine. I didn't want to go to Italy anyway.'" Rachel finished off her sentence in a high mocking tone followed by a frustrated growl. She had finally found the premade bottles and sat down on the edge of the bed enjoying the sound of silence punctuated by gurgling as the infant fed.

"Rachel," Lorenzo began evenly, "I will deal with James. I did not know that the mother was on heavy sedatives and if I had I certainly would've told you. I pay you entirely too much money to do your job. I don't need to resort to tricks to get you to do what I want." At the mention of her job Rachel gulped nervously. She knew that no one else was in the room with Lorenzo at this point and although what she had just said to him barely tipped the scales of even slightly inappropriate she still knew that he counted this against her. The only question was would she hear about it now or would it sneak up on her later?

Normally Rachel was content to collect her money from a criminal while pulling one over on others in the business but lately she was becoming more and more vocal about wanting a real job with Lorenzo and not just the petty nickel and dime stuff like "watch a baby" or "pretend you like this guy". She worked with a guy named Maurice in securities but Rachel's sole purpose on the team was to get close to targets in a way a 6'5 200 lb man couldn't. She was ready for there to be more to life. She either wanted to move up or move on. Staring down into the baby's now calm chocolate brown eyes Rachel couldn't help but think about life and all the things her mom had wanted for her.

Then the sky opened up and her wish was fulfilled. Lorenzo continued talking and it was nothing of what Rachel expected. At first she was confused but then she began to smile. She listened intently and took down notes and thanked Lorenzo profusely before hanging up.

As she gathered up her things and made a small bag for the baby before quietly leaving the room and then her apartment, Rachel couldn't help but hum to herself. She had been absolutely right about the baby not belonging to Nina-Madelyn's real name-and she was now on a mission to return the child to her rightful mother and begin a new job. The wedding hadn't been postponed simply because of beading on a dress. Lorenzo had put far more work into Rachel then she previously thought.

Rachel would now be working for Ava Jerome.

* * *

><p>Rachel was standing at the airport feeling awkward. The Port Charles police department had been called and were on their way to pick up the baby as well as Rachel. Lorenzo had explained all of this to her over the phone so she knew what to say to make this happen and what to expect when it did but Rachel was still a little scared. Part of her mind still didn't fully trust Lorenzo as he was the head of crime syndicate and wondered if one day he would fool her into getting herself in big trouble. All of her things were back in her apartment including all of her documentation showing the name that really belonged to her but that she never used. She wondered now if that was a good idea but Lorenzo had assured her that Sage was on her way to the apartment to make sure Nina left and that everything was locked up. Nina would be "taken care of" Lorenzo had said and Rachel pondered for a moment if Sage would be capable of what that phrase implied. Then she pushed it to the back of her mind. Whatever was going on with the Alcazars was on the peripheral of her life right now. The main task was to get the baby and herself picked up and in the custody of Ava Jerome.<p>

Rachel found herself again staring at the baby and thinking about her own mother. Grace hadn't really cared one way or the other if Rachel worked for Lorenzo but had been clear you can only trust people like that so far. He was known as a nice man _who ran a crime organization_ and Grace had always made sure to emphasize that last part. Even if you were legally family, she had said, you can get stabbed in the back so you watch yourself first and always. In Grace's opinion it wasn't _if_ but _when_ someone would turn on Rachel. She seemed convinced that there was a whole army out there waiting in the shadows, waiting for their time to rise, and turn Rachel's life upside down.

Making faces at the baby to pass the time quickly became boring as the infant sat passively and simply stared at her. This seemed to be her favorite activity. Rachel had continued to make sillier and sillier faces until she found she was laughing at herself but the mild expression stayed firmly planted on the baby's cherubic features. This made Rachel laugh even harder. As the hour stretched into a second hour and then a third, Rachel felt the need to pace if only to give herself something to do besides go crazy. Port Charles was only supposed to be 45 minutes away from LaGuardia*. Were they walking?

One of the security guards at the airport had made it a point to stop by with coffee for Rachel which she deeply appreciated. Although Rachel wasn't technically under arrest she was being detained until the police arrived. She had explained as best she could without revealing the truth as to how she had come into possession of the baby in the first place and it was up to Ava to confirm this story or send Rachel to jail. Judging by how boring it was to be in this tiny room for even a few hours she hoped Ava decided on the side of backing up her story.

Pacing the room and thinking about being incarcerated led Rachel to start thinking about Sonny Corinthos. Everyone she had come across outside of his personal circle hated him and it was easy to see why. While working at his club Rachel had gone home many nights with the urge to bang her head against a wall. To those who profited from Corinthos, "the boy from Bensonhurst" was held up as a shining example of what could be done with determination but Rachel thought it was a better example of what could be done if you got enough people to go to bat for you then stacked up the fallen bodies and climbed those to the top. It seemed to her that most of the work of the organization was done by Jason Morgan and even he was slightly inept. The computer guy had seemed alright but she only really knew him from surveillance tapes as she was in Puerto Rico and he was in New York. But then she thought she didn't really care for Lorenzo either and she openly despised the Ruiz's so maybe Rachel was just a hater. She was fortunate that the boy Ruiz she had dated had been a womanizer and all around bad guy because then she didn't have to pretend to like him after they had broken up. She could talk about him all she wanted and no one was the wiser. Rachel had liked the one brother and there had been a sister but he was off pretending to be a priest and she was who knows where so Rachel's ties to the Ruiz family were easily severed. It always made it easier if you could get a clean break. In the case of Corinthos' organization she couldn't be sure. With the two main men out of the picture, Spinelli was back in Oregon with his wife and daughter but her sister still lived in New York so he might be back. She doubted he'd recognize her—she had only seen him once or twice in passing when he worked for Lorenzo and Rachel had a new haircut and was sporting a tan but you could never tell. Some people unfortunately just had a knack for remembering her face.

***Intermezzo is some randomness I Googled about sleep sedatives and I took a guess about LaGuardia being the closest airport to Port Charles. Oh, and obviously (hopefully) Grace is my random made up character of Rachel's mom. **


	6. Chapter 6

**This is a short blurb from Dante's perspective to explain what is going on at the PCPD while Rachel is waiting at the airport. As on the show Sonny is in jail as well as Ava. I am taking out the whole big Franco wedding reveal (so Carly is off the hook lol) and leaving this as criminals getting caught doing what criminals do. Ava killed Connie/Kate and in retaliation Sonny went after her accidentally shooting but NOT KILLING AJ. **

**Sidebar: Ric Lansing is going to be here as mostly himself minus all that weird kidnapping stuff and his being related to Sonny. Also Kristina isn't going to exist but Molly will because I actually like Molly's character and like the connection between Ric and Alexis.**

Dante had been on his second interview with AJ Quartermaine when Anna had interrupted him and asked him to take a phone call. As accidental witness to the planned death of Connie "Kate Howard" Falconeri and the accidental victim of the botched assassination of Ava Jerome; AJ Quartermaine was worth his weight in gold to the PCPD. Dante had already spoken to him at the hospital as he recovered from his gunshot wound and now he was at the station to give a more complete statement and to speak to Diane and Alexis as they prepared for the upcoming trial. Sonny would be represented by both as he "needed all the help he could get" since he would be going up against long standing DA Scott Baldwin a longtime foe of Corinthos with a particular ax to grind and the assistant district attorney Ric Lansing. Dante assumed Sonny had made it his personal mission since birth to be involved in the life of every single person in New York—he had dated DA Baldwin's daughter decades ago and Sonny's mother had dated Ric's father.

Shaking his head Dante cleared all thoughts of Sonny as he made his way to his desk and picked up the phone.

"Detective Falconeri" he tried to adopt a business tone but it came out sounding bored. On the other end a young girl laughed.

"Hey Detective Falconeri," she pronounced his name in the same bored tone and he couldn't help but laugh, "I am calling in regards to the baby belonging to Ava Jerome. I work as a nanny and I was recently put in charge of the care of an infant girl. I believe this child to be the missing baby of Ms. Jerome."

The girl spoke crisply and to Dante's trained ear in a slightly rehearsed manner. She wanted her information out there as quickly as possible and she needed it to be believed in a hurry. He wondered why she had called and if she were in some sort of danger.

"What was it that lead you to believe this Miss…" Dante trailed off hoping she would fill the space with her name. He sat down at his desk gathering up pen and paper to write down whatever she told him.

"Well" she paused "there was something just off about how the mother hired me. Very…" she paused again as if searching for the right words, "abrupt. As if she had to have someone right away. She didn't even seem interested in a background check." The girl finished her sentence in a somewhat flippant manner. It was such an obscure and obviously made up story—there was no way to know a baby had been kidnapped based solely on the mom hiring someone fast-which made Dante think this phone call was definitely planned and then he was intrigued. He couldn't quite grasp if the point was for him TO believe her or NOT to. He pushed that out of the way for a moment. The point was she possibly had the missing baby. She hadn't bothered giving him a name though and that definitely was a problem.

"And what was your name?" he asked pointedly. He heard an infant coo in the background and then the girl laughed again. Dante briefly heard her speak to someone and then she was back to focusing on him.

"River—Ramirez." the girl stammered out. To Dante that little slip up_ didn't_ sound like a mistake.

"Rivera?" Dante wanted to be correct on his paperwork and he also briefly thought of Carlos Rivera a known associate of Ava Jerome and former flame and possible baby daddy of nurse, Sabrina Santiago. He wondered if there was a connection between the obviously unsuited for crime petty thief and the young girl on the phone.

"Rah-meer-ez" the girl sounded out even though Dante was almost 100% sure she had said Rivera the first time. "Rachel Ramirez." Dante could hear her in the background making more sounds at the baby who was making noise back and he smiled thinking of his own son, Rocco.

"I am at LaGuardia. Listen, Detective Falconeri. I'm not trying to be a pain but I really need to get this baby back to her mom. I know that her baby is missing and this baby matches the description. The lady pretending to be her mom was definitely not pregnant any time recently. So if you could just talk to security and have me released that would be awesome."

This time there was no hesitation or falsehood in the girl's voice. Dante debated whether or not to tell Rachel Rivera-Ramirez whoever she was that Ava Jerome was currently being held for trial in a murder. Either this girl was up to something or someone had sent her on a fool's errand. Knowing that she couldn't be let out of the airport with a kidnapped baby Dante decided to withhold Ava's arrest from Rachel. She couldn't do anything about it anyway.

Scribbling on his notepad he waved Anna over:

Ava's baby.

Anna's eyes widened as Dante pointed to the next word: LaGuardia.

She nodded.

Dante cleared his throat. "Okay Miss _Ramirez_" he stressed the last name and thought he heard the girl snort, "we are going to get in contact with Miss Jerome and we will bring her to the airport. Did you have any questions? Anything you need from me?"

He thought he heard more laughter but she just said no before hanging up.

Dante put down the phone and turned to Anna. "Guess I better go unlock Ava."

**Hope you enjoyed! =) **


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay so this is somewhat a continuation of the last chapter but its back to Rachel's perspective and concludes the whole "meeting at the airport episode". Lol I am debating a couple of ideas for upcoming chapters so if you read please review.**

Rachel knew something was up the minute she saw Ava's clothes. There was nothing inherently wrong with the clothes themselves and Rachel thought the older woman was dressed decently enough; it was the thinly veiled contempt in Ava's eyes that tipped her off. Rachel had seen that same disgusted look in Sage's eyes when she had been forced to wear sneakers the summer Lorenzo made them both volunteer at the kennel. These clothes do not belong on this body, those eyes said. The man Rachel recognized as Dante Falconeri-although he didn't know her-and another man of slightly younger but similar age were escorting Ava in what was meant to look like protection but only confirmed to Rachel that something was amiss. These men weren't helping a grieving mother. They were escorting a prisoner.

Lorenzo has spoken to Julian, Ava's brother, about getting Rachel into the United States and then in contact with the Port Charles Police Department but either Julian hadn't mentioned Ava's arrest or Lorenzo hadn't bothered to pass it on. Rachel wasn't sure how Ava being in jail would work—who was going to take care of the baby? Lorenzo had already pinpointed Sonny Corinthos as the father and he was in jail too. Rachel shifted somewhat uneasily and caught eyes with Falconeri who shared a look with his cop partner. They both seemed concerned that Rachel clearly didn't know Ava had been arrested but had quickly managed to put it all together.

"Hey I'm Detective Falconeri" he pushed his hand out to grasp Rachel's but she barely touched his and their hands flopped around for a second before retreating from the handshake. In a voice much deeper than anticipated the other man introduced himself as Detective Nathan West. A woman and a taller man in his 30's joined the group introducing themselves as Commissioner Anna Devane and Lieutenant Lucky Spencer.

_Lucky?_ Rachel thought. _Isn't that the kind of name you give your dog?_

"Sooo" Rachel rocked back uneasily on her heels. Whatever was going on with Ava wasn't good but Rachel certainly wasn't about to just hand over a baby for a bunch of cop guys to figure out nor was she going to jail. She currently stood in the doorway of the security manager's office with the baby blocked from view behind her. Still Ava made no move to see if the child was there and stood with a disinterested look on her face staring off into the distance. It made Rachel a little sad. Did this baby belong to anybody?

Detectives Falconeri and West seemed the most concerned about this whole mess so Rachel decided to stick with those two. She wasn't sure about Anna and Lucky Spencer just looked like he was there for extra muscle in case Rachel got rowdy. Rachel gestured for the two nearest her to enter the room with her. The last one in-Detective West-shut the door. Rachel also noted he took the chair nearest the baby while Detective Falconeri took the chair nearest to her. The two men glanced at each other and then at her.

Surprisingly, West spoke up first:

"Okay so you wanna tell us what's really going on?"

**Thanks so much and I hope you like where this is headed.**


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